TrackCoach wrote:
S. Canaday wrote:Yeah that sounds like one of the bigger hills we ran up. Fairly steep grade I may add...I think alone that hill probably made the course about 10-15sec slower than pancake flat . The U-turn maybe 5sec slow down as at higher velocities this makes more of a difference. The other more gradual "rolling hills" on the course...not super fast like Carlsbad for sure I'd say ( I haven't raced the 5km in Carlsbad, but I've run that stretch while racing the marathon there).
Look at the PRs of both the top end of the fields...was anyone PRing??...most experienced, elite marathoners were well off their PRs.
I'm just saying all this because I think Kara's run was a rather impressive performance. If she ran Philly the week before she probably would've been 40-45 seconds faster.
Sure, more many mid packers in the race that aren't racing at their lactate threshold for a full hour..maybe it is a "PR" type of race (the weather, course measurements and organization was top notch for that). But again, look at the top 10 in the race and consider their PRs.
What are you talking about?
1. Philly is not net downhill
http://www.runrocknroll.com/philadelphia/the-races/course/2. Important to make the distinction between the first half of the marathon course (a little bit but not very hilly) and the rock and roll course (almost entirely flat).
3. Elites come to run philly at least in large part because it is fast. The other part is probably the prize money.
I have run both the Rock and Roll and Philly Marathon Half. I'm also from Philly. Flat, fast course for sure.
Sage - Philly is not an easy course; it sounds like you have never run it. At lot of fast times have come on the Philly course because of the level competition. Philly is a signature event and athletes come to Philly focusing on running fast. Philly has a net downhill but downhill does not make up for an equal grade and length of an uphill and Philly does have a few hill. Btw, I have run Philly 7 times.
TrackCoach wrote:
S. Canaday wrote:Yeah that sounds like one of the bigger hills we ran up. Fairly steep grade I may add...I think alone that hill probably made the course about 10-15sec slower than pancake flat . The U-turn maybe 5sec slow down as at higher velocities this makes more of a difference. The other more gradual "rolling hills" on the course...not super fast like Carlsbad for sure I'd say ( I haven't raced the 5km in Carlsbad, but I've run that stretch while racing the marathon there).
Look at the PRs of both the top end of the fields...was anyone PRing??...most experienced, elite marathoners were well off their PRs.
I'm just saying all this because I think Kara's run was a rather impressive performance. If she ran Philly the week before she probably would've been 40-45 seconds faster.
Sure, more many mid packers in the race that aren't racing at their lactate threshold for a full hour..maybe it is a "PR" type of race (the weather, course measurements and organization was top notch for that). But again, look at the top 10 in the race and consider their PRs.
Sage - Philly is not an easy course; it sounds like you have never run it. At lot of fast times have come on the Philly course because of the level competition. Philly is a signature event and athletes come to Philly focusing on running fast. Philly has a net downhill but downhill does not make up for an equal grade and length of an uphill and Philly does have a few hill. Btw, I have run Philly 7 times.